Categories: Special / Limited Edition

Introduced way back in 2005, the Bugatti Veyron has enjoyed a long, successful career. It's been the fastest car in the world - both officially and unofficially - for much of its existence. It has also enjoyed a role as the most expensive and exotic supercar on the planet. But it's getting very close to retirement. Despite the lack of any official announcements on succeeding models, reports about a Veyron successor are already heating up.

While the status of the 16C Galibier remains in limbo, Bugatti is reportedly hard at work on the next generation Veyron, which will be named....VEYRON! The new model will be more than just an update or special edition, however; it will be a completely new model.

"Infiniti EMERG-E is physical proof of Infiniti’s intention to produce a bold halo model befitting the brand’s promise of Inspired Performance, and also signals an array of exciting new technologies that the brand will adopt in its quest to build dramatic and sustainable high performance cars." Infiniti used that sentence to introduce the Emerg-E performance hybrid at this year's Geneva Motor Show. While the statement doesn't say that the Emerg-E will be the "bold halo model," it certainly implies it. The fact that Infiniti has built a working prototype supplies further evidence.

Things may not be so clear cut, however. A new report casts doubt on whether the Emerg-E will be Infiniti's halo car, suggesting that Nissan's luxury arm will reach further back in its concept car portfolio.

Ok, we all love free money. And, following closely behind, we all greatly enjoy free gift cards. In the spirit of our Nation’s most red, white, and blue holiday Jeep has officially issued a Freedom of the Open Road Contest & Sweepstakes.

As far as we’re concerned that long list of descriptors adds up to a $500 gift card to REI or 30 randomly awarded $25 iTunes gift cards to participants which answer the following question: what does ‘Freedom of the Open Road’ mean to you.

Only the three grand champions of the contest get the REI shopping spree. So unless you’re merely reaching for a few iTunes hits, pop on those wordsmithing caps, shed a few tears, and find your inner wanderlust, because nothing gets auto journos more excitable than glorifications of our favorite past time.

In this upcoming September’s issue of Motor Trend magazine, readers will be treated to the possibility that three, and not two, SRT vehicles will eventually hit the road. For those of us currently counting, so far we know that the 2013 SRT Viper and 2015ish SRT Barracuda we be the SRT brand’s first two ponies out of the gate.

But Motor Trend speculates that another, altogether different, model will round out the nascent SRT lineup. The trouble is, of the two possibilities listed by author Mike Connor…neither seems like a viable option.

Small cars, big engines: It's a combination that inspires curiosity among car fans, even if the cars are ridiculously impractical and kind of counterintuitive (if you're going to have a supercar engine, you might as well have the supercar to go with it). Past examples have included the potential world's fastest Hennessey Venom GT and the Nissan Juke R. Now we have the Fiat 500 Italia from Roman design studio Lazzarini Design.

The idea is simple enough: reach across Fiat AG for one of the group's largest engines and fit it to one of its smallest cars. Lazzarini envisions the 4.5-liter V-8 engine from the Ferrari 458 Italia mounted in the rear of the 500, where it appears to take up a good portion of the hatch. In order to optimize traction, the firm plans to modify the engine output to a slightly lower 542 horses. That may be light for the 563-hp 458, but it's an arsenal of horsepower for the tiny minicar.

At about 3:00PM on Saturday, a special car rolled onto the auction block at Barrett-Jackson’s Orange County event. Back in April, media junkies first caught wind of a possible SRT Viper sale, and, despite months of anticipation, Saturday’s auction did not disappoint.

Teaming up with the Austin Hatcher Foundation, Chrysler offered vin numero uno of the much-adored incoming 2013 SRT Viper. And while the sale’s proceeds were to be donated to a noteworthy and significant cause, enthusiasts worldwide also took notice for another reason.

This vehicle will be the first of its kind – the scion of a new house in the automotive realm.

From 1978 to 1987, Buick produced a series of rear-wheel drive ‘luxury’ coupes and sedans, fondly remembered as the Regal and later Grand National models. In conjunction with a series of NASCAR victories in the Manufacturers Cups of 1981 and 1982, Buick decided to bump the company’s performance aspirations to the next level. The Grand National was born.

But not until the Grand National’s last year of production, 1987, did Buick manifest the vehicle’s full potential – in a performance-oriented GNX. For twice the cost of admission relative to a standard Grand National, the GNX entranced a mere 547 buyers for the then-staggering sum of $29,900.

Today, the GNX’s reputation has grown. What was once seen as the flagship of the bygone muscle car era is now viewed as the last bastion of American automotive glory. The 1987 Buick Grand National GNX is the car which stood on the precipice of change and laughed in the face of environmental consciousness, practicality, and – of course – vehicular impotence.

The Juke R was a wild pipe dream that somehow managed to turn itself into a reality. The Juke Nismo, on the other hand, was always much more of a realistic, grounded vehicle headed toward production. Nissan introduced the production version of the tuned Juke at the weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans event.

Nissan originally showed the concept version of the Juke Nismo at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. Nismo will enjoy an expanded role at Nissan, and the performance Juke is the first example of that role.

Mini has always seemed quite attuned to its British heritage. It's not all surprising, therefore, to see it milking this summer's London Olympics for all it's worth. Mini already introduced a special edition of Olympic proportions, and now it has released a video clip called "The Britalian Job."

As you probably guessed, the Britalian Job is a play on the 1969 film (remade in 2003) The Italian Job. Mini says the film was created to celebrate its partnership with Team Great Britain and Paralympics Great Britain.

If you're wondering what a 40-year-old film set in Italy has to do with the London Olympics, well, we'll say Mini, this video, and not much else. Mini Coopers were featured in both Italian Job movies, and Mini's video is a homage to the original. The video does its best to tie the caper theme with the Olympics, though bike jumps, straight lines and Minis burrowing through cramped spaces are really the only reasons to watch twice.

The only thing new age car junkies like more than hatchbacks are hot hatchbacks. With that said, the market for sub $30,000 tire-shredding utility boxes is pretty limited. Amidst a worn grouping, including VW GTIs and sluggish Subaru Imprezas, Ford has decided to once again prey upon its limping competition with the second coming of the company’s Focus ST. For months now, we’ve heard lots of good things. And Ford isn’t letting up anytime soon.

In short, the Focus ST continues to impress – especially now that we know an ‘overboost’ feature will be assimilated into the vehicle’s turbocharged engine. Please, oh pretty please, can we also get a Men in Black-type little red button?

Brazil may not be known for its supercar infrastructure, but that could all change if more cars like the AmoritzGT DoniRosset start showing up. Despite its clunky name, the supercar is an exciting, stylish ride. And what more could you expect from the land of thongs, bikini waxing and lusty supermodels.

The DoniRosset may not supplant Adriana Lima as the most beautiful thing to come out of Brazil, but luckily, it's not really competing with her. And in terms of the real competition, the DoniRosset can hold its own. While there's some clear influence from Lamborghini in the overall shape, and maybe even a little Marussia in the face, the car is original and attractive enough to not dismiss as 'another derivative supercar the world didn't need.'